Vending machines are frequently used to dispense beverages, such as sodas or coffee, and individually packaged servings of food, such as sandwiches or fruit.
Prior art efforts to increase the efficacy of vending machines in marketing products have generally focused on attracting potential customers to the machines through the use of advertising on the front and sides of the machine and placement of the machines in high traffic areas. Use of aromas in conjunction with vending machines is also known in the prior art.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,778 discloses a vending machine that uses an aromator to draw customers toward its product. The machine of the '778 patent automatically emits an aroma when a physical proximity sensor detects a person. The '778 patent allows more than one aroma to be consecutively emitted. The emissions of the individual aromas are not based upon any user interaction other than proximity.
There is a continuing need for systems to enable vending machines to be used more effectively in marketing of consumable products.